A total of 167 species so far this year

The total of 99 species for month was a little below the ten-year average of 102.2 species. There were only three additions to the year list. A Long-tailed Duck on 3rd remained all month. Our fifth record but the only one that has stayed around. It was joined by a second bird on 17th. A Sooty Shearwater that flew west then back east on 21st was our first record since October 2017. It was also seen at Shellness and Reculver. Three Great White Egrets flew NW on 22nd. Our seventh record and the sixth in the last 5 years. It was also our first multiple occurrence. Mild weather during the month saw four species of butterfly: Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Clouded Yellow and Peacock. Our first November records of Speckled Wood and Clouded Yellow and our our first November butterfly records since 2015.

169 species by this time last year

30th

Cloudy, cold, showers, light NE wind. 67 Red-throated Divers flew east and a Great Northern Diver was offshore. Two shelducks and six Teal flew west, the Long-tailed Duck flew west, at 8.40 and 10.55 am, four Common Scoters flew east and a duck Eider and six Red-breasted Mergansers were offshore. There were 47 Oystercatchers and two Grey Plovers on the beach. Small passerines seem rather scarce but the pair of Stonechats are still present.

29th

Sunny, cold, light northerly wind. There were 51 Brent Geese on the beach, three Shelducks flew west, a duck Eider was offshore, the Long-tailed Duck flew east and west by the Obs, four Common Scoters flew west and a duck was with Great Crested Grebes offshore, a redhead Red-breasted Merganser flew west and a drake was offshore. Waders included 25 Sanderlings along the shoreline and the Purple Sandpiper between the groynes. Other birds included a Short-eared Owl in off the sea at 8.200 am which dropped into the scrub (our third this month), Kingfisher, two Chiffchaffs and seven Goldfinches.

28th

Wildfowl included 43 Brent Geese, four Shelducks and two Gadwall west, Wigeon, two Teal, two Pintail and the long-staying Long-tailed Duck (for its 26th day). Waders included 74 Lapwings, 53 Curlews, 42 Snipe flushed from the Marsh Pool and the Purple Sandpiper. Three Little Gulls flew west, there were 13 Great Black-backed Gulls and a Razorbill. Other birds noted included three Fieldfares that landed briefly on the coastal path, Grey Wagtail, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest and ten Linnets.

27th

Cloudy, some rain, light WSW wind. Three Red-throated Divers flew west, a Great Northern Diver and six Great Crested Grebes were offshore. A drake Shoveler flew west, 18 Common Scoters flew east and a duck Eider was offshore. Waders included 41 Oystercatchers on the beach and the Purple Sandpiper was roosting with other small waders between the groynes. Two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew west inland and a Mediterranean Gull was amongst the caravan park’s pigloos. Also noted were a Grey Wagtail and a female Stonechat.

25th

Sunny, cold, moderate NW wind. Wildfowl included 14 Shelducks, eight Wigeon, two Teal, two Common Scoters and two redhead Red-breasted Mergansers flying east and the Long-tailed Duck by the tidal ponds. Despite kite surfers setting up on the shingle ridge a Snow Bunting appeared there briefly.

A kite surfer set himself up on the shingle ridge and proceeded to “surf” up and down the remnant brook for at least an hour. He was filmed by another surfer and second surfer joined the fun! What a way to treat a SSSI.

24th

Cloudy then sunny, colder with strong NW-N winds. Two Great Northern Divers came in from the east and landed on the sea, and another flew west. There were 70+ Gannets offshore, a Shelduck, 12 Pintail and 12 Common Scoters flew west and two Eider flew east close inshore. The Purple Sandpiper flew by the Obs, a Golden Plover flew west, a flock of 35 Curlews circled above Studd Hill and there were 26 Redshanks on the Marsh Pool. A Little Gull flew east and two Kittiwakes and three Sandwich Terns flew west. It was ideal sea watching conditions today but alas too late in the year. The pair of Stonechats were still present.

23rd

Sunny, mild, moderate westerly wind. One Gannet and six Common Scoters flew east, a Shelduck flew west and there were two Eiders offshore. Waders included 49 Ringed Plovers, 53 Sanderlings and 40 Dunlin roosting between the groynes, the Purple Sandpiper on the groynes, a flock of 25 Golden Plovers west and 18 Redshanks on the Marsh Pool. There were two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls, four Great Black-backed Gulls and 250 Herring Gulls on the beach and a Sandwich Tern offshore. Other birds noted included a Grey Wagtail, a Goldcrest, a flock of 15-20 Long-tailed Tits and 11 Linnets.

A late Peacock butterfly and several Harlequin Ladybirds were at the Obs.

22nd

Three Great White Egrets flew north at 10.05 am. Our first of the year. First recorded in 2011 with five records between 2019 and 2022. A Great Northern Diver offshore and 40 Red-throated Divers flew east. Wildfowl included 58 Brent Geese, 11 Shelduck, 21 Wigeon, three Teal, 11 Pintail and 24 Common Scoters. Waders included a westerly movement of 308 Lapwings, one Bar-tailed Godwit west, 28 Sanderlings, 22 Redshanks and the resident Purple Sandpiper. There were also 14 Little Gulls and a Razorbill, a Kingfisher, four Skylarks, 40 Chaffinches west and four Redpolls.

21st

Cloudy, fresh northerly wind. Good sea-watching weather but perhaps rather late in the year. However, a Sooty Shearwater, which flew west at 10.25 am, was our first since October 2017. It returned east at 10.50 am was was presumably the bird seen at Reculver 20 minutes later. Other birds on the move included c30 Red-throated Divers east, three Shelduck and a Pintail west, an Eider east, two Golden Plovers west, two Great Skuas chasing a Gannet offshore, a Pomarine Skua west then later back east, 16 Little Gulls, 47 Kittiwakes and five Sandwich Terns west. Also, a Great Northern Diver and two redhead Red-breasted Mergansers were offshore. Other birds noted included a Kingfisher, the pair of Stonechats, 14 Goldfinches south over the Obs and 11 Linnets.

20th

Sunny with showers, light SW wind. There were six Red-throated Divers, a Great Northern Diver and c12 Great Crested Grebes offshore. 80 Brent Geese along the shoreline, a duck Eider offshore and a Common Scoter flew east. A WEBS count flush of the Marsh Pool produced 45 Snipe and other waders noted included the Purple Sandpiper along the shoreline and a Grey Plover. A Sandwich Tern flew east and a Razorbill was offshore. Other birds noted included two Little Grebes along Coot Strait, 11 Long-tailed Tits at the Obs, eight Linnets along the promenade by the caravan park where a Snow Bunting appeared at 1.30 pm.

17th

Sunny with a light SW wind. The weather gave little indication of the movement this morning. Wildfowl were prevalent with 270 Brent Geese west, and another 100+ on the beach, 32 Shelducks, 70 Wigeon, five Gadwall, 27 Teal, 23 Pintail, seven Pochard and five Tufted Ducks all heading west. A single redhead Goldeneye and a redhead Red-breasted Merganser also flew west whereas 60 Common Scoters mainly flew east. A further surprise came with a second Long-tailed Duck, a female, joining the immature on the tidal ponds. Later they also flew west. Other birds on the move included 970 Lapwings, four Avocets and a single Knot west and a Bar-tailed Godwit east. Four Little Gulls flew west, there were single Red-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver and two Razorbills offshore and a Short-eared Owl flew west at 11.54 am. Other birds noted included 28 Fieldfares and 23 Redwings west in small parties at dawn, 11 Skylarks, 800 Starlings and 270 Chaffinches west.

16th

Cloudy and calm. There were four Red-throated Divers and a Great Northern Diver offshore. One Shelduck flew west, the Long-tailed Duck and a duck Eider were offshore and six Common Scoters landed on the sea. Waders included a Grey Plover on the groynes and a single visible Snipe in the Marsh Pool. There were two Sandwich Terns offshore and a flock of ten Little Gulls flew west. Other birds noted included a Short-eared Owl, which circled the area and dropped into the scrub at 9.15 am. It flew off east when flushed about half an hour later. A Kingfisher flew down the brook by the sewage works entrance.

15th

Sunny with a light SW wind. Only one Red-throated Diver but two Great Northern Divers offshore. Four Egyptian Geese flew west at 8.20 am (earlier seen at Reculver), the Long-tailed Duck was near the tidal ponds, two Goldeneyes flew west, a redhead at 10.10 am and a drake at 10.30 am (our first of the autumn), and a pair of Common Scoters flew west. Waders included three Grey Plovers and a flock c 50 Golden Plovers west over the sea and eight Snipe and 24 Redshanks flushed from the Marsh Pool by a Sparrowhawk. There were 14 adult Great Black-backed Gulls on the tidal ponds, one ringed but too distant to read. A Sandwich Tern and two Razorbills were also offshore. Other birds noted included a male Great Spotted Woodpecker, eight Skylarks west, the pair of Stonechats in the scrub and a Chiffchaff at the Obs.

A Harlequin Ladybird visited the Obs.

13th

Cloudy then sunny, fresh SW wind. One Red-throated Diver and six Great Crested Grebes were offshore. The Long-tailed Duck and a duck Eider were also offshore. Five Shelduck , a duck Common Scoter and four Red-breasted Mergansers flew west and another merganser was offshore. Waders included a Grey Plover on the groynes by the caravan park and two Bar-tailed Godwits west. There were 15 Great Black-backed Gulls on the beach, an adult Kittiwake flew east and two Razorbills were in flight offshore. Other birds noted included the pair of Stonechats.

12th

Three Pochard and a Tufted Duck flew east, the Great Northern Diver was offshore and 11 Little Gulls flew west.

11th

Sunny, cool, moderate westerly wind. Three Red-throated Diver were offshore. 10 Shelducks and a pair of Wigeon flew west, a duck Eider and the Long-tailed Duck were offshore and ten Common Scoters and a Red-breasted Merganser flew east. Later, a Goosander came in from the east. Waders included a single Knot west and the Purple Sandpiper. Two Little Gulls and a Sandwich Tern flew west. Other birds noted included six Skylarks west, a Swallow and a Chiffchaff. Six Long-tailed Tits were in the conifer along the promenade by the caravan park.

10th

The Long-tailed Duck and the Purple Sandpiper were still present, a Rock Pipit was seen and a Song Thrush was in the scrub.

9th

Cloudy, some rain, light SW wind. There were two Red-throated Divers, a Great Northern Diver and eight Great Crested Grebes offshore, five Gannets flew east and a Pomarine Skua flew east at 1.45 pm. The Long-tailed Duck was present at the tidal ponds for its seventh day. Waders included the Purple Sandpiper, five Snipe and c20 Redshanks on the Marsh Pool and 35 Curlews heading west from the Studd Hill roost. Five adult Great Black-backed Gulls included the “Norwegian” ringed bird and a Sandwich Tern was offshore. Other birds noted included a Stock Dove, Kingfisher and Swallow, a Song Thrush, Chiffchaff and two Goldcrests, and c50 Chaffinches, two Siskins and a Redpoll west.

8th

Cloudy with light rain and a freshening SW wind. There were two Red-throated Divers, eight Great Crested Grebes offshore and c10 Gannets. A single Wigeon was with the Brent Geese, there was an early morning gathering of 67 Mallard on the Marsh Pool, two duck Eiders lingered off the Obs all morning and two duck Common Scoters flew west. Waders included 52 Sanderlings roosting between the groynes, the Purple Sandpiper with them, and 20 Redshanks on the Marsh Pool with one visible Snipe. Three adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew west, there were 11 Great Black-backed Gulls on the beach and three Sandwich Terns flew west close inshore. Other birds noted included a Kingfisher in the brook near the sewage works entrance, a Goldcrest at the Obs, 75 Chaffinches and a single Greenfinch west and a flock of 15 Linnets roaming along the beach.

7th

The Long-tailed Duck was on the sea off the skate park early morning and later down by the tidal ponds. Seven redhead Goosanders flew west at 12 pm. The Purple Sandpiper was seen and there were two Sandwich Terns offshore. A Short-eared Owl in off the sea early morning was only our second of the year after one in September. “Hundreds” of Chaffinches flew west with a few Siskins and Redpolls.

There were many birders present this morning, the lure of the Long-tailed Duck and Purple Sandpiper, and a late Clouded Yellow was reported.

6th

Sunny, light SW wind. Three Mute Swans flew east, a Shelduck flew west, an immature drake and a duck Eider and a redhead Red-breasted Merganser were offshore and the Long-tailed Duck was again in the tidal ponds. The Purple Sandpiper was along the shoreline. An adult Mediterranean Gull was on the beach and three Sandwich Terns were offshore. Other birds noted included a Little Grebe in the brook, the pair of Stonechats, a Chiffchaff, and two Rooks on the beach.

A Speckled Wood butterfly was at the Obs.

4th

The Long-tailed Duck and the juvenile Pomarine Skua were reported again.

3rd

Cloudy at first, then sunny with a moderate SW wind. The morning started well with a Hooded Crow, presumably the same bird previously seen on October 22nd, on the beach with the Carrion Crows. It got better with the finding of a Long-tailed Duck within the tidal ponds. Our fifth record for the site and first since 2019. There were c10 Great Crested Grebes and a Red-throated Diver, still in breeding plumage, offshore and two Great Northern Divers flew west. An immature drake Eider was on the sea beyond the ponds and a redhead Red-breasted Merganser flew close inshore. Waders included a single Lapwing west and 14 Redshanks on the beach. The juvenile Pomarine Skua flew east over the beach, an adult Mediterranean Gull flew west, there were five Sandwich Terns offshore and a Razorbill was also close inshore. Other birds noted included one Skylark west, one Stonechat and a Song Thrush in the bushes opposite the Obs.

A late Speckled Wood butterfly and a Common Darter were by the Obs.

1st

Cloudy with steady rain all morning made for a limiting start to the month. There were two Red-throated Divers and two Great Crested Grebes offshore and c350 Brent Geese on the beach. 25 Redshanks gathered in the bay on the incoming tide. A ringed adult Mediterranean Gull, four adult Great Black-backed Gulls and two Sandwich Terns were on the beach. Other birds included one Swallow west, the pair of Stonechats, a Jay in the scrub and c80 Chaffinches and a single Goldfinch west.

The Mediterranean Gull had been ringed as a chick in Flanders in Belgium in 2010, colour-ringed in 2020, and since recorded in Belgium in 2021 and in the Netherlands in 2022.